Old Florida MX Photos

croom mx
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croom mx 12/9/2008 6:20am
12/9/2008 6:20am
SS Chas wrote:
These pics are great stuff here guys. I'm trying to find anyone who knew or knew about a very good friend of mine who used to...
These pics are great stuff here guys. I'm trying to find anyone who knew or knew about a very good friend of mine who used to race MX in Florida. His name is Greg Crews and he raced out of St. Pete. I believe he raced for Barney's back in the late 70's/early 80's timeframe. He's no longer racing but still has it in his blood. Any info or pics would be great. Thanks
I think I use to race him in the 250A class he rode a Cagiva then. He drove a dodge van. My Suzuki Full Floater would pull away from him on the long rough straight at St pete.
SS Chas
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SS Chas 12/9/2008 2:52pm
12/9/2008 2:52pm
Thanks for the info. I'll remind him how he got left behind! He still has that stinkin' Cagiva hat he made back then. I think his number was 881 ?
croom mx
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croom mx 12/9/2008 3:34pm
12/9/2008 3:34pm
SS Chas wrote:
Thanks for the info. I'll remind him how he got left behind! He still has that stinkin' Cagiva hat he made back then. I think his...
Thanks for the info. I'll remind him how he got left behind! He still has that stinkin' Cagiva hat he made back then. I think his number was 881 ?
Yes I remember him he had some kind of support ride from Cagiva. He was fast but that bike sucked. I remember racing him at St Pete he was slightly faster than me but he could not get around me on the rough track , the Full Floater was an advantage. My number was 751.
flarider
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flarider 12/10/2008 5:59am
12/10/2008 5:59am
Now you're going to get Kevin all pissed off for talking shit about Cagiva's

The Shop

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sean
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sean 12/14/2008 4:27pm
12/14/2008 4:27pm Edited Date/Time 12/14/2008 4:46pm
Law 131 wrote:
I raced a cool track at the AMA Winter National warmup series in 1978. I recall it was north of Lakeland. It was in a sand...
I raced a cool track at the AMA Winter National warmup series in 1978. I recall it was north of Lakeland. It was in a sand pit and had shear drop offs and multiple deep bermed corners. Massive Florida whoops where everywhere. Does anyone remember this track? Here are a few old photos from 78.



north of lakeland would be either the old croom mx track or the track in dade city. from the pics you have there I would say croom.
Law 131
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Law 131 12/15/2008 8:51am
12/15/2008 8:51am
I remember now. This track was never run again but that another track close by took its place. Perhaps that is the old Croom. They didn’t call it Croom. It had another name.

It was my favorite track in Florida and I only got to run it once.
FlashptA10
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FlashptA10 12/15/2008 1:47pm
12/15/2008 1:47pm
If you remember the Cagivas. Our shop ran the southeast pro support mx race team 1987 to 1989. Kevin Foley, Vince Devane. Alan Andrew, Brian McElroy,Tommy Rice and a couple others that slip my memory. Brian McElroy did the best by winning th Fla. Winter series in 88 and taking 2nd at the Daytona 125 Supercross in 88. The bikes didnt suck they were competitive in the right hands. I won a few FTR hare scrables on them and finished top three through the series.
dirtbikemike 12/15/2008 4:37pm
12/15/2008 4:37pm
we used to make the trek down to the Florida Winter Ams every year from 77 to 84. i was living in memphis in 77 and made the first trip down with a brand new AMA Pro card sporting #405. don lindholm #267 and i stayed with bob collie and about 10 other riders from all over. here's a picture of bob with a rider from new york. they're in front of bob's parent's place in new port richey. that's my moto van with the cool curtains and the CB whip. dirtbikemike



here is jimmy martin #477 going up the back side hill at gatorback---1977.



i think this is cocoa beach--1977.



this might be "california mx" just north of west palm beach--1984.



Law 131
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Law 131 12/16/2008 5:47am
12/16/2008 5:47am
Dirtbikemike,

That Gatorback track was different than the rest of the Florida tracks. It was fast with square edged bumps as compared to the deep soft whoops.

That shot of Diamondback is interesting, must have been just after they groomed it. It looks so smooth.

Thanks for the photos.
dirtbikemike 12/17/2008 8:03am
12/17/2008 8:03am
hey pierce, you might find this one interesting. take a look at the red jersey on the left.



this one should be easy.



this one maybe harder.

Law 131
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Law 131 12/17/2008 8:43am
12/17/2008 8:43am
Mike,

I don’t recognize the track in the top photo. Was it Gatorback?

The bottom two are Diamondback. I don’t recognize the riders.

Funny thing is, I don’t remember running anything but a red/white/blue jersey in Florida.
dirtbikemike 12/17/2008 10:02am
12/17/2008 10:02am
yeah, that's gatorback. visualize going into the hole, up the bumpy uphill, across the top next to the fence, then down left. this picture is going back up the hill towards the fence again. i'm pretty sure this was 1978. it started snowing in arkansas on my birthday in january and i left that day for florida. i rode clewiston on superbowl sunday and stayed in west palm beach until the last of march.

try kenny zarht and the "killer" don kudalski.

dirtbikemike
Law 131
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Law 131 12/17/2008 10:49am
12/17/2008 10:49am
That Gatorback was a rough son of a gun. Fastest track in Florida.

That Clewiston track was the 77/78 season. I was there. I remember alot of deep dirt with rail berms. Very cool track.
croom mx
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croom mx 12/18/2008 4:40am
12/18/2008 4:40am
dirtbikemike wrote:
hey pierce, you might find this one interesting. take a look at the red jersey on the left. [IMG]http://www.dirtbikemike.com/law131.jpg[/IMG] this one should be easy. [IMG]http://www.dirtbikemike.com/cocoa-77.jpg[/IMG] this...
hey pierce, you might find this one interesting. take a look at the red jersey on the left.



this one should be easy.



this one maybe harder.

This rider on the bottom is Don Kudalski. Looks like 1978 at that time. In 1979 went on to Factory Harley.
jathey
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jathey 12/18/2008 11:44am
12/18/2008 11:44am
Just wanted to chime in that, even though I'm from Maryland, I've really enjoyed these photos!

This must be the 'real' section of Motodrive - oops, I meant Vital MX.
EbarDP48
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EbarDP48 12/18/2008 6:35pm
12/18/2008 6:35pm Edited Date/Time 4/16/2016 9:34pm
Bobby Moore wrote:
Great to see all those old pics... I know my dad (Verlon Moore) worked his tail off building and making Hyatt Cycle Park one of the...
Great to see all those old pics... I know my dad (Verlon Moore) worked his tail off building and making Hyatt Cycle Park one of the best tracks in Florida.. This is a picture that my mom took of me in 1977... This picture was taken on the SE coner of the track for those of you that remember Hyatt....

Bobby Moore...I owe you an appology. I've was pissed at you for years. I won the 77 NML Points championship (250cc) and you just missed out on winning the mini class that year. I felt that because of that your dad gave out dinky points championship plaques that year instead of big throphies like had been done in the years leading up to 77.
Funny thing is that's the only throphy I kept.
I just found this site and I'm really enjoying the old photos. Hyatt, Orlando Sports Stadium, Chicken Farm, Diamondback...Hey remember West Palm Beach stadium racing?
Good times. And the addiction continues to this day. I have 6 bikes in the garage. Looking to go to Hard Rock the weekend after Christmas...any takers?

Bert Barnes 48

EbarDP48
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EbarDP48 12/18/2008 6:44pm
12/18/2008 6:44pm Edited Date/Time 4/16/2016 9:34pm
Here's a few old pictures to add to the collection Ron Olerich and I at Hyatt Cycle Park around 1976

Here I am at Clewiston during a Gold Cup race. Must have been about 78


The Starting line at Hyatt again in 1976

Bert
Law 131
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Law 131 12/19/2008 4:47am
12/19/2008 4:47am
Hey Bert,

Where was that Hyatt track?

Pit Row

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croom mx
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croom mx 12/19/2008 8:30am
12/19/2008 8:30am
Law 131 wrote:
Hey Bert,

Where was that Hyatt track?
Hyatt Cycle Park was in Pompano Beach Florida. Nice sand track with this huge jump on the side. It got really rough, I remember Kippy Pierce was riding hard and his foot peg broke off, he put his foot on the engine case and still won the moto!
Law 131
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Law 131 12/19/2008 11:18am
12/19/2008 11:18am
I remember racing in Pompano in 78 or 79. Didn't remember the Hyatt name.

Thanks.
croom mx
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croom mx 12/19/2008 11:52am
12/19/2008 11:52am
Another time I was at Hyatt cycle park, JoJo Keller was leading the 250 pro class in 1978 and on the last lap about 200 yards from the finish he swapped real bad went over the bars and broke the throttle cable and could not finish the race. He was smoking mad after that!
Law 131
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Law 131 12/19/2008 11:57am
12/19/2008 11:57am Edited Date/Time 4/16/2016 9:35pm
Croom,

Were you at the race when Maroney showed up with a paddle tire? 125 pro and I think (could be wrong) gave Hannah a hell of a run that day.

Threw Freddie Ephrem (sp?) for a loop!


Law 131
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Law 131 12/19/2008 12:11pm
12/19/2008 12:11pm
Croom,

Here's another of Diamonback 77/78

croom mx
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croom mx 12/19/2008 12:50pm
12/19/2008 12:50pm
Law 131 wrote:
Croom, Were you at the race when Maroney showed up with a paddle tire? 125 pro and I think (could be wrong) gave Hannah a hell...
Croom,

Were you at the race when Maroney showed up with a paddle tire? 125 pro and I think (could be wrong) gave Hannah a hell of a run that day.

Threw Freddie Ephrem (sp?) for a loop!


Was that at Orlando sports stadium? I think thats were they used it in the deep sand and he was throwing so much sand the other riders couldn`t see the track. Jim Weinert used it also at Daytona, the AMA outlawed it after that!
Law 131
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Law 131 12/19/2008 12:57pm
12/19/2008 12:57pm
I think it was Orlando.

Weinert likes to take credit (are we surprised) for being the first to use it.

We all know it was fellow NYer Maroney that used it first on his MotoX Fox Suzuki.
EbarDP48
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EbarDP48 12/19/2008 1:37pm
12/19/2008 1:37pm
Law 131 wrote:
Hey Bert,

Where was that Hyatt track?
croom mx wrote:
Hyatt Cycle Park was in Pompano Beach Florida. Nice sand track with this huge jump on the side. It got really rough, I remember Kippy Pierce...
Hyatt Cycle Park was in Pompano Beach Florida. Nice sand track with this huge jump on the side. It got really rough, I remember Kippy Pierce was riding hard and his foot peg broke off, he put his foot on the engine case and still won the moto!
Speaking of Hyatt ...I remember one year (must have been around 1976) it was real dusty and Vernon Moore had a great idea to spray the track with used oil (can you imagine the trouble you'd get in today) to control the dust. It may have been a great idea...had it not rained and made the track look more like a river.
I had just got my Polish Parts (anyone remember Jim Zimtowski A.K.A. Polack ...his shop being in Lake Worth) 1976 1/2 Maico 250 with white plastic. I think that might have been one of my first races on this bike. By the time I was done, a heavy layer of crude oil stuck to the bike, me, my gear. I don't think the white plastic ever looked the same.
Then to make matters worse we had a Gold Cup race that took us to Burnt Hickory in Atlanta. Rained all day and never got over 50 degrees. Georgia clay three foot deep.
Between the oil at Hyatt and the Georgia clay from Burnt Hickory those old sand cast Maico cases never would come clean.

Ahhh, the good old days.

Bert
croom mx
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croom mx 12/19/2008 1:45pm
12/19/2008 1:45pm
Now you testing my memory was Jim Zimtowski the rider that got hurt real bad at Diamondback.
croom mx
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croom mx 12/19/2008 1:55pm
12/19/2008 1:55pm
Law 131 wrote:
I think it was Orlando. Weinert likes to take credit (are we surprised) for being the first to use it. We all know it was fellow...
I think it was Orlando.

Weinert likes to take credit (are we surprised) for being the first to use it.

We all know it was fellow NYer Maroney that used it first on his MotoX Fox Suzuki.
Pierce since you are from the New York area do you remember riders from the New England Sports Committee? Like Jim Menan or Spencer Morrison? Everytime I would read a Cycle News they were winning all the races there. Are they still around?
Law 131
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Law 131 12/19/2008 2:10pm
12/19/2008 2:10pm
The NESC is primarily the governing body for racing in Massachusetts, RI, Maine and CT. My district was AMA 3 in NY. I only would run with Menan in Florida. I didn’t know him very well. One New Englander I knew and raced with was Wymess Scott.

As I understand it, Menan is out of it now. It is true that he is an NESC legend.
EbarDP48
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EbarDP48 12/19/2008 3:54pm
12/19/2008 3:54pm Edited Date/Time 12/19/2008 3:59pm
kgilch wrote:
I will start out scanning some...this is Chicken Farm MX at the top of one of the big hills on the track coming out of the...
I will start out scanning some...this is Chicken Farm MX at the top of one of the big hills on the track coming out of the pit. And it is me, Kevin Gilchrist, looking for others though.

Yeah. He took a footpeg to the back of the head in a first turn crash. That was one of the few races he attened and I didn't. He was in a coma for a long time. When he came out of it I visited him in the VA hospital in Gainesville. He was in a wheel chair in the lobby and I didn't even reconize him. Stone cold, no change in expression..all he would do is sit there and stare. He never got any better. A really sad situation.

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